Unique Plays Tough For Fall

Topshop's Unique Autumn/Winter 2012 collection is the complete antithesis of what we witnessed on the catwalk this Spring/Summer. Instead of attempting to hold onto summer by continuing with highly feminine, elegant garments, Unique has embraced winter with a darker and heavier hand.

Gone are the pretty pastels which graced this summer's catwalk trends, discarded are the lightweight chiffon fabrics and rejected is the overly girly-girl sweet-heart look of the summer. This fall, Unique has disregarded all of the rules of the catwalk set out in spring, and has adhered to a much tougher and heavier (yet still feminine) look, with typically masculine colours breaking all boundaries and contrasting with dangerously barely there statement making pieces.

The winter look encapsulated the trend of harsher silhouettes, created by the top heavy image of wool overcoats and reworked bikers, which gave the top part of the silhouette shape and structure. The lower silhouette often left nothing to be desired and was barely emphasised by the shortest of shorts, creating an effortlessly chic and unbalanced silhouette.

Textures also played a significant part in the collection, with wool being the main fabric of choice for dresses, coats and bomber jackets, which contrasted nicely with the occasional leather pleated skirt and oversized bags, maintaining the femininity of the collection whilst adding a tougher element and creating an interesting aesthetic between textures.

Whilst the feminine element of the collection is still retained in cut-out bralets, dresses and maxi wrap skirts, the colour palette is no doubt the centre of attention this collection, adding depth and intrigue to the garments. Rustic burgundy, charcoal, khaki and the obvious statement black are all dominant, with the occasional white garment thrown in to separate blocks of colour. However, it is not only the use of colour that brings a touch of masculinity and a biker-chic look to the collection; heavy metal zips and wide detailed straps complete this vision, with knotted leather belts contrasting the femininity of the spiked fierce heel.

Unique's Spring/Summer collection is available online at Topshop.com, in selected stores nationwide and in selected boutiques globally. The Autumn/Winter collection will be in-store September this year.